On Christmas Eve 2011, Adrian Peterson tore up his knee. This season, Peterson tore up the NFL.

Peterson is Sporting News’ Comeback Player of the Year with 483 votes, easily outdistancing Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who finished second with 320 votes. In the process, Peterson further solidified his position as an all-time great running back.

What Manning achieved coming off neck surgery was superb. But when the season began, find somebody who expected Peterson to have his best season ever. Find somebody outside the Vikings’ organization who expected them to finish 10-6 and to make the playoffs.

Because of Peterson, the Vikings had a season to remember. With 2,097 yards, he fell just 9 yards short of breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season record. Peterson also scored 12 touchdowns and averaged 6.0 yards per carry.

During his best eight-game stretch, Peterson averaged 164.1 yards. That's more remarkable when you consider the Vikings lacked a consistent passing game to take the pressure off Peterson. Christian Ponder struggled during many games, including two games in which he passed for fewer than 100 yards. Opponents loaded the box to stop Peterson every week. Didn’t matter. They couldn’t contain Peterson, even when they knew he was coming. Once Vikings star wide receiver Percy Harvin suffered a season-ending ankle injury, Peterson simply carried more of the load.

Watching Peterson run was breathtaking. He broke tackles with explosive power. He made violent cuts that left defenders grasping at air.

People wondered if Peterson would still be a home run hitter after knee surgery. No worries. There were plenty of memorable runs that showed Peterson still had his finishing kick, an 82-yarder against the Rams, a 64-yarder against the Buccaneers, a 74-yarder against the Seahawks and a 61-yarder Sunday against the Lions. Peterson had 27 runs of 20 yards or more, far and away the most in the NFL.

Peterson also got stronger as the season progressed. Early in the season, Vikings coach Leslie Frazier worried about giving Peterson too much work too soon. But by the end of the season, only Arian Foster (351 carries) had more than Peterson (348).

Peterson’s comeback season was extraordinary. At a position where losing even half a step can end a career, Peterson proved he hadn't lost anything. In fact, he came back better than ever.

Peterson's numbers

Rushing yards: 2,097

Touchdowns: 12

Yards per carry: 6.0

Yards per game: 131.1

Runs for 20 or more yards: 27 (long of 82)

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About the awards

Sporting News polled more than 800 NFL players, coaches and executives for our 2012 awards. Everyone voted for offensive and defensive player of the year, rookie of the year and comeback player of the year. Only coaches and executives voted for coach of the year, coordinator of the year, executive of the year and SN’s All-Pro team.